Marc Kollar's Photo Blog

Obviously this is not “just” a photo shoot. You are recording the end of a person’s history and providing a remembrance for not only the family alive today, but for future generations. With the wake now complete, we focus on the final two events: the funeral Mass and the Burial.

Keep in mind that I am using the example of a deceased who is a military veteran and was involved in several fraternal organizations, including the Knights of Columbus. Not all of what I describe herein may be seen for every funeral. Thus, it is incumbent upon you to work with the Liaison I described in my earlier post.

The Day of the Funeral

The day of the funeral Mass is fraught with lots of movement. The family will begin the day at the funeral home along with the priest who will receive the body. The coffin will be placed in the hearse and the procession will head to the church. You ultimately need to find out from your Liaison if the family will want you at the funeral home first, or if you can go straight to the church.

At Catholic Masses of any type, there is a fine line between getting a photo and being an unwanted nuisance. For any Mass, but particularly a Funeral Mass, you need to make every effort to stay out of the way and be innocuous. Definitely, keep the flash at home. Definitely get your high-end glass out.

Obviously it is preferable to get to the church so you can get a sense of the place and where you can set up so as to be out of the way. Generally, however, it is best to look at the choir loft and balcony for locations. If the church has side aisles photos from those locations may be an option. To get a sense of the design of older churches, I would recommend visiting this site. In the newer style churches that are more elliptical and oval, with the altar more formed as a platform than a formal front, you may be challenged in remaining unobtrusive. Once again, however, your lenses with the high f-stops are going to help you here. Regardless of the style of the church, using a flash is only going to massively distract from the Mass.

But you still need to know what is going on to figure out the best locations to be at during each part of the Mass. Below are the crucial points of the funeral Mass in the Roman Catholic Rite.

1. Reception of the Casket – The priest will stand outside or in the Vestibule of the church while the pall bearers heft the casket from the hearse and onto a carrier. In the case of older churches with steps, the pall bearers will literally bear the casket to the entrance of the church. Photos can be taken outside the church of the pall bearers and of the priest if he permits it. the priest will sprinkle the casket with Holy Water prior to its entrance into the church as a symbol of the baptism of the deceased.
2. Placing of the Pall – For Roman Catholics a large white pall is placed over the casket at the entrance to the Nave of the church. This area is called the Narthex. Usually you can get good vantage points from either in the middle of the church or from one side of the Narthex.
3. Entrance Procession – The “cross and candles” (held by altar servers) will lead the procession up the main aisle to the altar. If an Honor Guard from the Knights of Columbus is present, they will follow the altar servers and present swords at the Chancel (the wide opening between the first several pews). The priest and deacon will follow the Honor Guard. Lastly the casket will be wheeled to the Chancel. If you are in the middle of the church, make your way to the Apse of the church, directly in front of the altar and move down one of the side aisles and back up the main aisle to get photos of the next part of the Mass..
4. Placing of Christian Symbols – When the casket is present in the Chancel, the priest will place either a cross or a Holy Bible on top of the casket. the Honor Guard will then process to the back of the church and await the next portion of the Mass.
5. Liturgy of the Word – There are actually five parts to this portion of the Mass. In each case, photos can usually be taken from the balcony unobtrusively. Just be aware of which side of the church each part takes place on. In older churches, there are usually two stations from which the Word of God is proclaimed. As you face the altar, the 1st and 2nd Readings and the Responsorial Psalms are read from the right side known as the lectern. The Gospel, proclaimed by either the priest or deacon, is done so from the pulpit, located on the left side. In newer churches, there is only one location which is on the left and is known as the ambo. The 1st and 2nd readings are usually proclaimed by a family member of friend of the family. The Responsorial Psalm is sung by a cantor who is generally not part of the mourners although this is not always the case. The final part of the Liturgy of the Word is the Sermon or Homily. This is usually a five to ten minute reflection by the priest or deacon on the teachings of the Church about death and the Afterlife. It tends not to be specific to the deceased, but may be if the priest or deacon is close with the family.
6. General Intercessions – Also known as Prayers of the Faithful. This is a brief period when prayers are offered for the family and friends of the deceased, for the Church, and for the World. Usually these are read by a member of the family, usually one of the lectors of the 1st or 2nd reading.
7. Preparation of the Gifts -  How this works depends entirely upon how the priest wishes to have this done. Some priests may be willing to have the Honor Guard and cross and candles escort two or more family members bearing the bread and wine to the altar. Other priests may prefer to have the bread and wine on the altar. Either way, shots from the balcony are probably best.
8. The Consecration – I generally try not to take pictures of the priest during the Consecration and the Second Elevation of the host and chalice. However, you may want to ask the priest who will be celebrating the Mass if he would permit such photos. Photos of the family at this point may be poignant, especially if the deceased was active in the parish as a Eucharistic Minister.
9. Communion – After the Second Elevation, Catholics will process to the altar and receive the Body and Blood of Christ. If you are intending to take pictures at this point, do so along the side aisle after the person has received under both species. These are solemn photos that should elicit the reverence the person has for their Faith and for the deceased whose “final Mass” they are attending.
10. Eulogy – While most “remembrances” of the deceased are given at the wake, some priests may permit brief talks by family members. These are usually two to three minutes and are presented at the lectern.
11. Final Commendation – The Honor Guard of the Knights of Columbus will surround the casket as rest. The priest sprinkle the casket with Holy Water again and may incense it as well before stating several specific prayers. A position in the middle of the main aisle would be good for pictures as well as from the choir loft at the back of the church.
12. Recessional – The cross and candles will lead the procession down the main aisle followed by the Honor Guard, the casket, and the priest and deacon.

While the Mass has ended, the pall bearers still need to load the casket into the hearse. In some instances, such as for those of Irish descent, a bagpiper may be playing while the casket is made ready.

The Burial

Without question, this is probably the more difficult of the three parts of funeral photography. Not because of the wide open space, but because of the emotion that can be exhibited by distraught family and friends. Thus, be very aware of who you are photographing and how they look. The first few times it may be difficult to judge, but if you have done portrait work especially of young children, you will have a bit of a leg up.

Keep in mind that you do not have to be part of the funeral procession, even if you are a family member of friend. If you know where the cemetery is, you can go ahead and give yourself time to set up. But if you don’t know where you are going, get in line!

Once as the cemetery, you are not going to have a lot of time to pick and choose your shots. Things are going to happen relatively quickly. So here is a quick check list of what to look for. Keep in mind this check list is based on my example of a deceased person who is going to receive full military honors.

• Identify the Honor Guard Commander.
• Find out when and how they will remove and fold the flag.
• Find out who will be presenting the flag to the immediate family.
• Talk with that person briefly letting s/he know that you would like to be able to take several specific shots.
• Identify the Sergeant at Arms who is marshaling the gun team who will give the 21-gun salute.
• Determine when the salute will be given.
• Identify the trumpeter who will be playing Taps.
• Confirm when s/he will begin to play.

Some distinctive photos you can get for the family include:

1. A few photos of the folding of the flag over the casket,
2. The hand-off of the flag from the Honor Guard to the Commanding Officer or highest ranking officer who will be presenting the flag,
3. The presentation of the flag to the immediate family,
4. The Final Salute of the Commanding Officer to the deceased.
5. A photo of the trumpeter with the casket and family in the background.
6. A reverse of the Depth of Field so the casket and family are tack sharp and the trumpeter is out-of-focus.

Keep in mind that your camera makes noise, even if you have the mirror up. As such, seriously consider one of the longer primes such as those used by sports shooters to get some of the photos. If that is not an option, make the effort to be discreet when you do take the photos at this time.

Be aware that the casket may or may not be lowered into the ground at the conclusion of the grave site service. Thus, you may find that some of your final photos are of the mourners walking back to their cars. One final, sometimes poignant photo can be of the casket in the foreground with the mourners returning to their cars in the background.

Indeed, you are capturing the end of a lifetime and an event within the lifetimes of others.